After a night passed, a rising sun rose from the horizon, scattering radiance across the entire Yunqin empire.

That night, everyone in the provincial capital heard the cries of warhorses, as well as the concentrated sounds of iron hooves and the rolling wheels of carriages.

Many people thought that it was the battle situation at the front lines being critical, so large amounts of troops had to be transferred over. However, when the sky brightened, many people discovered that apart from the locally stationed troops, there were many soldiers that originally didn’t belong to the provincial capital outside.

This meant that the provincial city’s troops were only dispatched, they didn’t leave, instead, there were even more troops from the surrounding cities that were transferred over.

Not long afterwards, news was released, stating that there were more than twenty thousand soldiers that completely sealed off all exit points of Three Reeds Peak to catch a criminal who escaped last night. Meanwhile, this criminal was quite formidable, actually killing the provincial city’s Military Prison Commander. This was a second rank important figure we were talking about, moreover rumored to be an extremely formidable cultivator.

In that moment, when many individuals within the provincial capital gazed into these mountain ranges, they all felt like there was something different going on behind the scenes.

…

Xiao Tieleng was currently looking coldly at Jiang Xiaoyi.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Jiang Xiaoyi still had some alcohol smell around his body, but his ordinary blue cloth clothes were extremely clean.

“I viewed you all as Yunqin’s valuable talents, many people in this province feel similarly, which is why I specially warned you all. However, who would have thought that you all still acted like this.” Xiao Tieleng looked at Jiang Xiaoyi for a long time, and then finally said this with an ice-cold and pained voice.

Jiang Xiaoyi gave Xiao Tieleng a vacant look, saying, “I do not know what Sir Xiao is trying to say, what did we do? We didn’t do anything.”

Xiao Tieleng gave Jiang Xiaoyi an expressionless look. “If you didn’t do anything, why were you discovered near that residence?”

Jiang Xiaoyi said in a deadly earnest manner, “I likely drank too much and became drunk, so I lost track of my way back.”

“You don’t need to quibble with me over these things.” Xiao Tieleng turned around, pointing towards the distant mountain range. “Right now, everyone knows that the one who killed Mu Chenyun escaped into There Reeds Peak. Those that can bear witness include not only the officials who stood guard here yesterday, but countless soldiers who are in charge of the arrest as well. As long as Lin Xi is captured in that mountain… it would be ironclad proof!”

“Sir Xiao, I do not understand anything you are saying.”

Jiang Xiaoyi first recalled his anger and despair yesterday, and then Lin Xi who suddenly appeared, as well as his hand that patted his own shoulder, his heart suddenly feeling warm. Thus, he couldn’t help but laugh and say, “The one who killed Mu Chenyun, what does that have to do with Lin Xi? Also, regardless of if it is ironclad proof or not, it will only be known when someone is caught.”

After a slight pause, Jiang Xiaoyi also pointed towards the mountain range and said, “Right now, an army of over ten thousand has surrounded that mountain peak until not a single drop could trickle through, you all even purposely spread information, everyone knowing that the one who killed Mu Chenyun is inside. At that time, if Lin Xi comes out from a different place, appearing in another place, then that would naturally prove that he has nothing to do with the murder of Mu Chenyun you speak of.”

Xiao Tieleng looked at Jiang Xiaoyi, remaining silent for a while. Then, he said with a cold voice, “You should understand that the reason why I said so much to you all isn’t because I wanted to start a conflict or trap you all, I only didn’t wish to see those who could originally achieve much for Yunqin, leave behind a strong stroke in Yunqin’s history, ultimately become those who cannot be of use to Yunqin, instead only bringing harm to it. You all should understand that the country cannot stand without law. If everyone acted based on their own will and against the law, how can the Yunqin Emperor rule a country?”

“Sir Xiao, me and Lin Xi both understood your good intentions.” A hint of a cold smile and mockery appeared on Jiang Xiaoyi’s face. He looked at Xiao Tieleng and said, “Sir Xiao should understand even more clearly than us whether Mu Chenyun should have died or not. When Yunqin established the empire, Principal Zhang and the late emperor had said that even if the emperor goes against the law, he still had to be punished just like its people. The fact that we have this matter right now means someone is treating Yunqin’s laws like a game.”

“That is why this is only a game, a game to see if you all can capture the one in the mountains. Sir Xiao doesn’t need to say too much either, because if you say any more, I will instead feel like sir is hypocritical, feel even more disrespect for sir.” Jiang Xiaoyi pointed towards that mountain again, saying this to the Judicial Sector official whose rank was who knew how much higher than his own. He also felt like ever since he left Green Luan Academy, after experiencing last night’s events, his entire mentality had already been slowly changed, he himself also becoming more mature.

The veins on Xiao Tieleng’s forehead jumped, but in the end, he entered a state of silence, not saying anything, only sighing inwardly.

He could also sense that the reason why these youngsters stirred up so much trouble was because they were forced to become more resolute and mature step by step. However, what he saw… was instead that these people didn’t walk towards the stage of bright prospects, instead distancing themselves from Yunqin’s glory further and further , yet he was completely powerless to reverse this.

…

Sitting across from Bian Linghan was also a Judicial Sector official.

This old and gray-haired Judicial Sector official was also who knew how many times taller than her. This Judicial Sector official’s tree bark-like wrinkled hands were holding a slip of paper.

This slip of paper had Lin Xi’s writing on it, the handwriting rather casual: “Jiang Xiaoyi seems to have gotten drunk and left, so I went out to look for him… no matter what happens, wait until I come back.”

The last ‘wait until I come back’ was written rather heavily, the words almost like ink blotches. However, Bian Linghan understood what Lin Xi was trying to say, so she didn’t say anything.

When facing this Judicial Sector official’s interrogations regarding Jiang Xiaoyi and Lin Xi, including this slip that was found in her room after a search, her reply were always the same three words: “I don’t know.”

This old Judicial Sector had a background previously serving as a Prison Supervisor and Interrogation Official, unknown just how much information he had forced out of difficult convicts in the past. However, when facing this gentle and weak looking young lady whose face was only slightly pale as she shook her head firmly, saying she didn’t know, his face could only produce a bitter expression, leaving him helpless.

It was because his rank wasn’t low and also because his age was rather great, so he could tell that this was merely one person asking another to kneel down, yet the other person wasn’t willing. Moreover, no matter which side one looked at this from, this wasn’t a situation he could provoke.

He was already old, his nature already comparatively mellowed out, not as tough as Xiao Tieleng and the others. Moreover, he had experienced the late emperor and Principal Zhang’s era, so right now, he couldn’t help but think to himself, did the one on the dragon throne really have to do this… If everyone was just happy and well like before, keeping smiles on their faces, one side feigning their allegiance, the other side also treating them as completely loyal, isn’t this just fine?

Once one’s age became greater, one’s eyes didn’t become brighter, instead becoming a bit clouded with grit.

In reality, after all these years had passed, this wasn’t an uncommon thought in many Yunqin officials’ minds at all.

…

Lin Xi continued to move through the forest quickly.

Not far from him was an abyss that seemingly went straight down. In the several hundred meter abyss below was a blue and white mountain stream that flowed outwards.

On the other side of this several dozen meters wide valley that seemed to have been hacked open by the blade of an immortal was an even larger, more lush forest region.

Previously, Lin Xi already examined this place carefully from places of higher elevation, seeing that this mountain peak had already been completely sealed off by the army, which was why he had to reach the forest on the other side of the valley. With the size and speed at which the army was transferred, there should be no way the peaks on the other side could be completely sealed up as well, so he had a chance of escaping from this mountain.

Even though the injury on his left shoulder had already completely stopped bleeding, his left arm also able to move a bit now, his arm bones were still broken in many areas, extremely swollen.

Regardless of whether it was blood loss or pain, they would exhaust his stamina even more. That was why after moving for an entire night, Lin Xi’s entire body was already continuously sweating.

As early as when he cultivated until his body and spirit were weary in Green Luan Academy, feeling like it might be better to be alive than dead, he already knew that this world’s soul force cultivation was amazing, knowing that the soul force of a cultivator was like another type of nutrient and source of power. When resisting fatigue, soul force would naturally be slowly consumed as well. Meanwhile, tonight, he also clearly sensed the academy’s Glorious King Destroys Restraints that the academy didn’t circulate around, its reasoning was precisely using soul force to make the flesh shake at a strange rhythm, making the coagulation and recovery process of wounds healing much faster. However, this was also something that consumed soul force as the price.

Even though he was actually ‘two bowls of water’, his soul force density equivalent to twice that of cultivators at the same level, he could already feel that his soul force was about to be completely exhausted.

That was why he had to stop and use meditation cultivation to replenish his soul force. Otherwise, his body would become weak to the point where he couldn’t even move.

Right at this time, he saw a waterfall that released a lot of noise.

This waterfall’s width was less than five or six meters, the water flow not that great, the source most likely a pond or spring water accumulated at the peak. However, because it poured down from the cliffs above, because of the elevation, that was why when it entered the green jade stream at the bottom of the valley, it seemed especially astonishing. Through the erosion over the years, a five or six zhang radius pond formed under the waterfall, looking serene and deep like jade, the water color a bit darker than the other parts of the stream.

What left him feeling a bit pleasantly surprised was that towards the back of the waterfall, the valley’s width seemed to begin to contract. It seemed like not long afterwards, he should be able to find a way to go around this valley, entering the even more expansive mountain forest region within.

However, right at this time, he heard sounds of clear and steady footsteps from one side of the forest.

Then, his brows furrowed deeply. On the shore of the stream where the waterfall was, he saw a large rock, a person was seated on that rock . One hand had black military bandages wrapped around it, his chest also wrapped in black bandages.

“Lin Xi… you indeed have left me quite shocked. You were actually able to run this far.”

Xue Wantao was like a rock, not moving his body at all as he raised his head. He carried a type of gloominess that no youngster should have as he looked at Lin Xi, saying this coldly.